Lesbian literature includes works by lesbian authors, as well as lesbian-themed works by heterosexual authors. Even works by lesbian writers that do not deal with lesbian themes are still often considered lesbian literature. Works by heterosexual writers which treat lesbian themes only in passing, on the other hand, are not often regarded as lesbian literature.

The fundamental work of lesbian literature is the poetry of Sappho of Lesbos. From various ancient writings, historians have gathered that a group of young women were left in Sappho's charge for their instruction or cultural edification.[5] Not much of Sappho's poetry remains, but that which does demonstrates the topics she wrote about: women's daily lives, their relationships and rituals. She focused on the beauty of women and proclaimed her love for girls.[6]

Certain works have established historical or artistic importance, and the world of lesbian fiction continues to grow and change as time goes on. Until recently, contemporary lesbian literature has been centered around several small, exclusively lesbian presses, as well as online fandoms. However since the new Millennium began, many lesbian presses have branched out to include the works of trans-men and -women, gay and bisexual voices, and other queer works not represented by the mainstream press.

Works of lesbian literature are sometimes difficult to find if they are not published by small lesbian presses. There has always been a general lack of promotion of lesbian themes by mainstream publishers, and the small presses lack the funding to get the word out. An exhaustive list of works cannot be provided here, but key works in different genres are listed.

Young adult fiction

1970s

In Ruby (1976) by Rosa Guy, the main character is a girl from the West Indies. The novel tells the story of her relationship with another girl. Other young adult novels with lesbian characters and themes that were published during this time include Sandra Scoppettone's Happy Endings Are All Alike (1978). According to the author, it "barely got reviewed and when it did it wasn't good," unlike Scoppettone's novel about gay boys, which was better received.[7]

Frequent themes in books published during the 1970s are that homosexuality is a "phase," or that there are no "happy endings" for gay people, and that they generally lead a difficult life.[8]

The School Library Journal reported,

“

Throughout the 1970s, there was, on average, a single young adult title per year dealing with gay issues. Although many of these early books were well written — and well reviewed — gay characters were at best a sidekick or foil for the straight protagonist and at worst a victim who would face violence, injury, or death (fatal traffic accidents were commonplace). Young protagonists who worried that they might be gay would invariably conclude that their same-sex attraction was simply a temporary stage in the journey toward heterosexual adulthood.[9]

”

Judy Blume has been cited as a catalyst in the 1970s for an increase in inclusion of "taboo" topics in children's literature, which include homosexuality.[10]

1980s

Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind, published in 1982, tells the story of two high school girls who fall in love. The novel, which has never been out of print, was a step forward for homosexuality in young adult literature.[9] It was published in hardback and by a major press. In the book, homosexuality is seen as something permanent and to be explored, not "fixed."[8]

In Kansas, a minister led a public burning of Annie on My Mind following a controversy after it was donated to a school library.[11]

1990s

During this decade the number of lesbian-themed young adult novels published rose. Nancy Garden published two novels with lesbian protagonists, Lark in the Morning (1991) and Good Moon Rising, and received positive sales and reviews. In 1994, M.E. Kerr published Deliver Us From Evie, about a boy with a lesbian sister, which was well received by the public.[12] Other books published during this decade include Dive by Stacey Donovan (1996), The Necessary Hunger (1997) by Nina Revoyr, The House You Pass On the Way (1997) by Jacqueline Woodson, The Hours by Michael Cunningham (1998), about three different women and two of them are either bisexual or lesbian and one of the male characters is gay. Girl Walking Backwards, (1998) by Bett Williams, who intended the novel for an adult audience though it was popular among teens,[12]Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (1999) and Dare Truth or Promise (1999) by Paula Boock.

2000s

The 1990s represented a turning point for young adult novels that explored lesbian issues, and since 2000, a flood of such books has reached the market.[12] The public attitude towards lesbian themes in young adult literature has grown more accepting.

In 2000, the School Library Journal included Annie on My Mind in its list of the top 100 most influential books of the century.[13]

In the past, most books portrayed gay people as "living isolated lives, out of context with the reality of an amazingly active community."[8] Today books also show gay characters not as stigmatized and separate.

There are fewer books about female homosexuality than male homosexuality,[14] and yet fewer books on bisexuality are published. Despite the fact that availability of books with teen lesbian and bisexual themes has increased since the 1960s, books with non-white characters are still difficult to find.[8][15]

Carolyn Parkhurst's 2006 novel Lost and Found, a New York Timesbestseller, features two lesbians, one the 18-year-old Cassie, who is trying to establish how she feels about some of the mistakes she's made, but is quite certain she prefers women; another a thirty-something woman, Abby, who has married in an attempt to avoid the "sin" of homosexuality, but who is still attracted to women. Interestingly, Abby is married to soi-disant "ex-gay" preacher, Justin, who wants to proselytize the conversion of homosexuals to heterosexuality (while cheating with another man behind Abby's back), and Abby finds herself increasingly uninterested in this political program. Thrown into the mix is an adult one-time child actress, Juliet, who is willing to flirt with Cassie if it will bring more televised attention to herself.[16]

A reviewer for Entertainment Weekly gave Lost and Found a grade of B+ and astutely observed, "Says the ex-child star: '[Cassie's] smart and she's funny, and more importantly, I think audiences are going to like her. I'm still deciding whether flirting with her is the right way to go; she's a little fleshier than I'd like, and I have to think about how that'll look.' And we're back on that theme, being seen, in a novel peopled by the visually impaired. ... How can Abby not see that Justin's barely staying straight? How can Juliet not see how calculating and grasping she appears?"[17]

Guy Savage also remarked, in his review, on the conflicted dynamics between "Abby and Justin — former homosexuals who hope to spread their message of "sexual conversion" through the medium of reality television" and notes that "Laura and Cassie" are "an estranged mother and daughter team," though he missed the reason why, or chose not to explicate it.[18]

In the novel REAMDE, a 2011 technothrillernovel by Neal Stephenson, two heroines manage to stay alive simply because they happen to call each other "girlfriend," a common term in society and fiction, and yet their Russian captors take this terminology to mean that the two young ladies are lesbian lovers, and therefore think that one can be taken hostage to demand the other's good behavior. Although both find this reasoning amusing, they both also work to the extent of their limits to save each other.[19]

The current largest publishers of lesbian fiction are Bella Books, Bold Strokes Books, and Regal Crest Enterprises. Bella Books, established in 2001, acquired the Naiad backlist, including the majority of works by Jane Rule and all the works of Karin Kallmaker. Their catalog includes over 300 titles of lesbian romance, lesbian mystery and erotica. Bold Strokes Books established in 2005, publishes lesbian and gay male mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, adventure, and other LGBT genre books. Their catalog includes 130 titles. Regal Crest Enterprises, established in 1999, has a catalog currently exceeding 100 works, and they publish lesbian romance, lesbian mystery, some erotica, sci-fi, fantasy, and sagas.